I am very uncomfortable with pushing SADN down the road. I understand it, but it is something I think needs to have its first phase done by the start of next year. I know its paranoid, but I do not want to hit Go on Karachi without at least Mecca and Chicago protected.
The trouble there is asking what to delay instead? What doesn't get done? Can't hold off on the laser. Is it the Orcas? Zone Armor? Zerbite Dev and Deploy? The Transobritals? I was very careful putting that first third of the list together. SADN is where it is because, for all it's importance, it's need isn't pressing. Nod has backed off on the doom button so long as we don't push into their lands.
I understand the concern. It's something that both has time it's unneeded and a time limit. We don't want it to sit around. But to hit the rest of this list, something has to come later.
That said, my take is not the be all end all. If it's possible to rejigger the list so it gets started faster while not overly hurting other priorities, I'm very open to them, especially as I'm not much of a plan maker.
Fast Twitch Myomers and Drone Control Networks we will have to wait and see, especially the former as rolling out more and more GFZA is going to be part of FYPs going forward.
True, but I see Fast Twitch Myomer more for next generation Zone Armor and mechs in it's military application, rather then helping current deployments.
This is something that will take time. We are developing extensive cybernetic and genetic augmentation. The Gene Clinics being one source of this. However, due to the lag time on human development case studies, I don't expect the latter to have any significant impact. It will take time for techniques to be developed, year to decades long tests to be run, and minds to change. Cybernetic augmentation is likely to be more immediate given our extensive prosthetic developments. But that still isn't immediate, having an arm that can lift 200 kg doesn't matter if that would snap an unreinforced spine, it'll take time for such things to come about.
Again, we explicitly got Nod Human Genetic Engineering, we're cheating the development timer hard. Hearts and minds are a different matter, but who can say? Maybe our efforts in curing lactose intolerance and gluten allergies could win over the general population. Maybe we can gather so much political support nobody cares enough to stop us. Anything is possible.
Cybernetics are more likely to see immediate results, but the truma from Cabal's uprising would put a much greater dampening effect on that style of augmentation. Plus our development there is much farther behind because the Nod gatch isn't interested in giving us cybernetic stuff.
However, if I could point to a different franchise for a moment, look at Halo and it's Spartans. Now much of that program is ethically difficult and we don't have time for it even if it wasn't, but there is value in using cybernetics to enhance the human body to get even more out of a Power Armor system. Something similar should be possible here. No need to turn a person into a quadraplegic, just make his or her bones and muscle hard enough and strong enough to handle increase performance levels in the suits. Don't try to make the best possible human body, make a human body good enough for the best possible power armor.
Oh damn, forgot two things. Chameleon Weave and Last Generation Stealth Tech. This stuff is important. Not first year or even second year important, but they would really shore up a capability gap we have with Nod. I don't ever expect to beat them at their own game, but having the ability to stealth a pack of Harvesters, or a commando strike for as long as possible, or covering up a research facility could be huge for our security and infiltration teams. We wouldn't be doing mass deployment, Nod would find and destroy most of it, but we don't need to. Maybe the Talons prototype us up a stealth walker for fun and testing purposes, but that's as far as I expect us to take it on a large unit. On the smaller side, Maybe ZOCOM could use it for more scouting and reconnaissance. Many powerful uses for such technology off the battlefield.
Seems like a good year four project so we can see how it fits into the next plan, again unless there's a very strong government and military push. Which there might be, we promised INOPS a lot of funding, and they'd be very interested in these technologies. I can smell some bargains being made already.
The trouble there is asking what to delay instead? What doesn't get done? Can't hold off on the laser. Is it the Orcas? Zone Armor? Zerbite Dev and Deploy? The Transobritals? I was very careful putting that first third of the list together. SADN is where it is because, for all it's importance, it's need isn't pressing. Nod has backed off on the doom button so long as we don't push into their lands.
I understand the concern. It's something that both has time it's unneeded and a time limit. We don't want it to sit around. But to hit the rest of this list, something has to come later.
My concern is we have to hit Karachi this Plan. We want to kit Karachi sometime between the end of 2063 and 2064 for various naval timings and with how NOD should still be relatively battered from the Regency War. Karachi is by definition striking at the Bannerjees and Al-Isfahani, neither of which faced serious GDI attacks during the Regency War. We would not be nearly as paranoid about Karachi if that wasn't the case. Karachi is a very blatant threat to the Bannerjees' holdings which have not faced a serious GDI force since Tib War 1. That by itself will demand a response, potentially a nuclear one.
I admit, them immediately escalating to nukes is unlikely, even for Ibrahim 'Shah of Atom' Al-Isfahani, especially as they haven't been pressed hard like other warlords have been. And that the other NOD factions are unlikely to expend their husbanded WMD stockpiles for another warlord. Especially one that is high in Kane's esteem. Especially if them being humbled encourages Kane to look elsewhere for a new Right Hand.
However, we have underestimated NOD's willingness to use nukes before though and I would prefer to have certain key sites, IE Phase 1, done to ensure they are hardened against WMD strikes. I admit it is likely an excessive paranoia, but I do think that getting the first phase of SADN done will give us economic protection against tib/nuke/wmd missile barrages.
Again, we explicitly got Nod Human Genetic Engineering, we're cheating the development timer hard. Hearts and minds are a different matter, but who can say? Maybe our efforts in curing lactose intolerance and gluten allergies could win over the general population. Maybe we can gather so much political support nobody cares enough to stop us. Anything is possible.
Cybernetics are more likely to see immediate results, but the truma from Cabal's uprising would put a much greater dampening effect on that style of augmentation. Plus our development there is much farther behind because the Nod gatch isn't interested in giving us cybernetic stuff.
Understandable. I'm more in favor of using our service dice to roll out some more AEVAs (HI, Tiberium, Military) along with the hospitals and Optical development.
That's the hard part. I do wonder if we'll eventually hit underground Tiberium Glaciers. Would make some sense.
Note this isn't based on my wants, because if I had my way, I'd leave the Zone Factories alone until the Macrospinner was done, fund every single development project and split whatever was left between the Steel Talons and ZOCOM 70/30 and tell them to have at it, damn the torpedos and ready the harpoons!
My sympathies. Sadly, while we're getting close to the point where our "basic" military strength ( that is, the ground/naval/air forces) is genuinely comfy... I don't think we're quite quite there yet, mainly because the Navy is still building up and because we're planning to put extra pressure on their arrangements with Karachi.
Of the remaining "genuine need" projects, as opposed to "this is gravy," I think they all fall into one of the following categories:
-Things ZOCOM needs to fight tiberium.
-Talons projects
-Space Force projects, a major need because we want to take the fight to the Visitor base around Jupiter and the Space Force is nowhere near ready to do that.
-General naval strengthening
-SADN
Now, there's a good deal of overlap between the genuine needs and the Plan goals this time around, so that's a relief. Some of these are things I'd like to do as much as possible of before Karachi, others are totally irrelevant to Karachi, others are entirely about long-term planning for the future, which shapes my own sense of timing.
Which... broadly speaking aligns with yours. Few exceptions. Might list a few.
So, starting with Zone Armor, we should feed it about 3-5 dice over the next two turns, aiming for about five mass production factories before stepping back. With the Red Zone Offensives halted they're mostly for replacement suits right now, as well as training. I don't think we should aim to fully finish the first phase immediately, because we do have other priorities and we want whatever the Macrospinner Capstone is to apply.
Per Lightwhispers, we've got three factories finished, we're 155/180 on a fourth. Four to five more dice is likely enough to complete the entire Set 1 run of plants. And personally I'd welcome that development, because I'm also looking forward to a "capstone" benefit from completing the set, personally.
SADN is important, but I don't think we should get started until the laser refits are done. We need a production pipeline for the laser defense portion, and the laser refits are more important for our current needs regardless. Don't see this getting started until about the mid point of next year, if that.
I'm pretty sure SADN is a production pipeline, to the extent that that would be included in the project. Now, I don't actually disagree about prioritizing the naval laser refits, but I seem to recall Ithillid explicitly telling us that (for instance) the Sharks would start being fitted with 'disco ball' advanced lasers if we did either the naval laser refits or SADN, precisely because either would represent us starting up production on the required scale.
Depending on the utility of some of those bays, I might be prepared to keep Columbia as the expirement model and only build one of the densest housing bays, and pay the political cost of failure if need be.
Well, I'm pretty comfortable with that and am optimistic that we won't need to pay "political costs of failure" as long as we're actually willing to go ahead and fill in the bays after getting far enough along that we get to find out what the second-generation space habitat options (new city-class station, new moon base, probably) look like.
~0.82% of Venus' atmosphere is needed to pressurize Mars to Earth's atmospheric pressure. This is clearly insufficient to reduce Venus' atmospheric pressure to Earth normal levels.
Ok, I'm going to do something fun and figure out how big ~0.82% of Venus' atmosphere is (assuming it is 100% carbon dioxide.)
Start with 3.932 * 10^18 kg of CO2
The most effective way to transport is would be to convert it from a gas to a solid, so make it into dry ice. This could be done by allowing it to leak heat into space. Dry ice has a density of 1625 kg/m^3.
mass/density = volume, so 3.932 * 10^18 kg / 1625 kg/m^3 = 2.521 * 10^15 m^3 of Dry Ice
Make it into a giant ball for convenience; V = 4/3 * pi * r^3. Solving for radius and do unit conversion to get 84.42 km.
At 84.42 km in radius, the ball of dry ice would be the largest snowball ever created. To visualize the size, it is about as big as Northern Ireland or 1/2 of Taiwan. It would make for a really cool looking comet if thrown at Mars.
The whole reason I'm still speculating about this is the need for carbon in space. All of the carbon currently in orbit for the GDI has come from Earth and finding a larger source would be needed for certain types of terraforming. There aren't many alternatives to Venus that I can find. Mostly some carbonate rock and methane on some moons.
I'll drop it for now since that is an issue for the future GDI.
The good news is, if we do manage to cool down Venus and mitigate its pressure-corrosion issues, the carbon won't just be gone. It doesn't spontaneously dissolve into nothingness. It winds up converted into some other chemical form, the exact details of which may vary, but which can be extracted from Venus and shipped into space if we're willing to put in the time and effort.
Also, as long as we're saddled with tiberium at least, we can get as much as we want of any chemical element we want anyway... eventually.
Sunshading Venus until the atmosphere becomes dry ice might not even be necessary. For starters we just need to cool it enough until the surface is no longer 462°C. A nice cozy 0°C average is perfectly survivable with out technology and heating is easy. For reference, 92 atmospheres worth of pressure is about what you encounter under just 920 meters of ocean above you. Less sun energy also has positive effects on the weather intensity, so a win all around.
The pressure, temperature, and corrosion combined definitely do a lot to make Venus more dangerous than it would have to be. Heat and pressure accelerate chemical reactions, and the presence of corrosion threatens a lot of the materials we'd normally use to resist heat and pressure. So cooling the planet down to something manageable by blotting out the sun would leave Venus with a cold, corrosive, less high-pressure atmosphere,* which would be much easier to adapt mining equipment to.
________________________________
*(Just the ideal gas law ensures that atmospheric pressure will drop off as a function of temperature, though there are surely complicated knock-on effects I haven't thought of in ten seconds)
The pressure, temperature, and corrosion combined definitely do a lot to make Venus more dangerous than it would have to be. Heat and pressure accelerate chemical reactions, and the presence of corrosion threatens a lot of the materials we'd normally use to resist heat and pressure. So cooling the planet down to something manageable by blotting out the sun would leave Venus with a cold, corrosive, less high-pressure atmosphere,* which would be much easier to adapt mining equipment to.
________________________________
*(Just the ideal gas law ensures that atmospheric pressure will drop off as a function of temperature, though there are surely complicated knock-on effects I haven't thought of in ten seconds)
Mole. All the atoms are still there. Fluid thermodynamics, including friction and tension which affect how corrosion works, depend on what sort of mixtures are created. Let's not forget that azeotropes are a thing and that we haven't had much reason to figure out which ones sulfuric acid can form.
Like there is some information in various Azeotropic tables, but Sulfuric Acid doesn't have a table of it's own as far as I am aware.
[X] Plan Particle Mining: -[X] Earth-Orbit Facilities Edit 2: 54 IP:
--[X] Gagarin Station (Stage 4) (3/10 Gagarin Station Parts; 10 IP per Part)(+5 to all rolls, +1 Research Die)(-3 Astrotech Teams)(For one station part per turn, the IP cost is waived) Edit 2: 6 Parts 50 IP
--[X] Enterprise Orbital Assembler (Phase 3 of 4) 5/80 IP Edit 2: 4 IP -[X] Lunar Facilities (4 Dice available, +15 to lunar dice) 30 IP:
--[X]Craterscope Structure (Phase 2)(Updated) 246/400 4 Dice
--[X]Ore Electrolysis Test Facility (Phase 3)(Updated) 0/30 IP 30 IP -[X] Martian Facilities (13 Pathfinder days) 100 IP 26 Pathfinder Days:
--[X] Martian particle mining Base (Phase 1)(NEW) 0/20 Fascilities 5 IP per Fascility, 10 Fascility per Trip 100 IP 26 Pathfinder Days -[X] Assembly 130 C
--[X] Craterscope Asteroid Belt Detector 40 C
--[X] Craterscope Tiberium Detector 40 C
--[X] Craterscope Moon Detector 50 C -[X] Development (6 Dice) +30 15 C 26 IP
--[X] G-Drive Improvement Program 296/400 (15C/Die +10IP)(max 1 die per turn) 1 Die 15 C 10 IP
--[X] Atmospheric Containment Sparkle Optimization 373/400 (No cost per die) 1 Die
--[X] Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation 0/200 (4IP/Die) 2 Die 8 IP
--[X] Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation 0/200 (4IP/Die) 2 Die 8 IP -[X] Space Command Mission Planning (4 Dice) +5
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Miranda) 1 Die
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Ariel) 1 Die
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Umbriel) 1 Die
--[X] Mission: Follow up missions (Uranus) (Requires one Die) 1 Die -[X] Missions Edit 2: 20 IP 40 Pathfinder Days
--[X] Other
---[X] Pathfinder Drive Testing 20 IP 40 Pathfinder Days
SCEDQuest Q1 2062 Results
Gagarin Station (Stage 4)
The current stage of Gagarin Station is nearing completion. The gear in the new zero g lab is being calibrated and the communication systems are undergoing final testing. Minor issues have been found during both so a few replacement parts are needed before operations can begin.
9/10 Gagarin Station Parts
Enterprise Orbital Assembler (Phase 3 of 4)
Work on the Orbital assembler slowly continues, with little slack time available due to the rush of construction on the station assembly bay. Thus, only a small amount of preparatory work was done this quarter.
9/80
Craterscope Structure (Phase 2)(Updated)
The building for the craterscope has been completed and now the installation of the Mirror and detectors can start. The largest single structural item is the massive sunshield which will prevent solar radiation from damaging any of the mirror or detectors, and ensure constant temperature across the worksite.
436/400
Ore Electrolysis Test Facility (Phase 3)(Updated)
With the test facility online we now produce a small amount of metal parts on the Moon, though only during the 'day' time when the sun shines on the solar collectors to provide the needed power. Even if the output of the facility is low it has a notable impact on Lunar operations as it can produce parts in hours instead of the days it takes to get a replacement from enterprise. High capacity testing will require a greater and more consistently available power source.
30/30 IP +10 to Lunar Dice -1 Astrotech Team
Martian Particle Mining Base (Phase 1)
The first mining base on another planet then our own has been named after the first geologist to land on the moon, Harrison H. Schmitt, who landed on the Moon as the pilot of Apollo 17 on December 10, 1972. The facility itself consist of two main parts: A buried base where the crew lives to shield them from martian weather, and a fleet of mobile mining rigs that process tons of sand each day to find the handful of particles they contain.
20/20 (Phase 2) -3 Astrotech Teams Research Starts in Q1 2062
Craterscope Asteroid Belt Detector 40 C
Craterscope Tiberium Detector 40 C
Craterscope Moon Detector 50 C
Many high-precision manufacturing centers around the globe were commissioned this quarter by SCED to produce more of the Craterscope's highly complex and delicate sensors. Soon, they will be transported up the gravity well and towards the moon.
G-Drive Improvement Program
After months of testing, simulations, calculations and cups of coffee, the improved Gdrive project has finally produced a stable, improved field configuration. compared to the previous one, the new field curvature results in a net 0.05 g's of additional observed performance with minimal increase to the volume/power requirements. Refitting Pathfinder however will require a few months worth of dock time, as several systems have to be ripped out and exchanged before its drive can produce the new configuration. More importantly, this groundbreaking accomplishment shows that improving, and ultimately understanding, Gdrive technology is not only possible but a viable path for the future of GDI space travel and scientific understanding.
401/400
Atmospheric Containment Sparkle Optimization
Work on adapting the Sparkle shield to serve as a backup for containing air in our bases has been completed. The STU element requirements are minor, but the power requirements are significant, and the containment shields will not function in the event of a general power failure or other accident. However, for some applications, like for say, a garage for lunar or martian vehicles, or in some docking applications, sparkle shields can partly replace standard airlocks, simplifying the need to pump down and up air levels constantly. However, these shields are not perfect, and gas leakage is noticeable though slow. Shutters are thus needed both as a backup, and to keep too much air from escaping when not in active use.
426/400 -20 proges needed to design bases
Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation
The evaluation of communal housing and how the results will impact SCED base design are ongoing and await additional reports from the housing experiments on Earth. It is expected that these efforts will be of a somewhat limited nature, as remote SCED bases will feature relatively cramped and communal living conditions by default, and everyone assigned to such locations will be relatively dedicated professionals. However, some sociological data on improving morale may be useful to extend the working duration of crews.
166/200
Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation
The Evaluation of the Green Architecture is going slowly due a lack of input. Many of the plants involved have not reached their full size and until they do the costs and benefits of the projects are hard to judge. In the meantime, several dwarf palm trees have been slated for boosting into orbit to speed up the tests.
131/200
Mission: Orbital Scan (Miranda)
Mission: Orbital Scan (Ariel)
Mission: Orbital Scan (Umbriel)
Mission: Follow up missions (Uranus)
More future missions have been planned, this time with a focus on scanning most Uranus's moons.
SCEDQuest Q2 2062
This Side Quest was allowed by Ithillid and is supposed to be fun. Things happening in SCEDQuest will be affected by the main one, but unless Ithillid says otherwise it is only semi-canon.
Budget: 211, income: 100 Capital per turn
Industrial Capacity: 230 IP
Pathfinder Time: 90 Days
Astronaut Teams: 7 (+1 per year, +1 per Plan)
Astrotech Teams: 8 (+1 per turn, +5 per year)
Earth-Luna:
Earthside Facilities (Unlimited Dice)
[]Isolinear Computing Center
Now that we can print Isolinear chips, we can build dedicated computers for the development department who are eager to get the increased calculation power.
With the fabricator at Anadyr completed we can get some of the needed chips from there reducing the cost of the project.
(Phase 1)(25 Capital per Die 0/200)
(Phase 2)(0/50 IP)(+5 to development dice)
Earth-Orbit Facilities:
[]Gagarin Station (Stage 4)
With SCED growing and the number of off-earth sites increasing, the design for the next phase of the Gagarin station has been changed. The new design still includes 0G research labs but the rest of the expansion now focuses on a large communication suite to coordinate SCED efforts across the solar system.
(9/10 Gagarin Station Parts; 10 IP per Part)(+5 to all rolls, +1 Research Die)(-3 Astrotech Teams)(For one station part per turn, the IP cost is waived)
[]Enterprise Orbital Assembler (Phase 3 of 4)
With the industrial space and resources available on Enterprise station steadily growing has come the possibility of other GDI departments besides the Treasury to get a piece of the orbital manufacturing station's capacity. Luckily Developmentalist, Starbound and even a few Militarist politicians continue to look out for the SCED and have reserved some of the station space for the small organization. With the completion of the Station it has become easier to request help from the existing workshops on the Enterprise.
Phase 3: (9/80 IP)(+1 free station part per turn, fewer parts needed once the Conestoga is ready)
Phase 4: (0/80 IP)(+10 IP, research projects require less progress)
Lunar Facilities (4 Dice available, +20 to lunar dice):
[]Craterscope Mirror Laying and Sensor Installation (New)
With the building complete it is time to install the mirror and sensors.
(0/200)
[]Lunar Imaging Seismic Array (Phase 2 of 10)
LISA can be deployed from orbit, the pods landing and burying their sensors by themselves. The SCED will expand the array region by region, scanning each for available volcanic caves.
(0/10 Sensor Pods, 4 IP per Sensor Pod)
Martian Facilities (13 Pathfinder days):
[] Martian SCED Research Base (Phase 2) (Northern polar region)
The polar research base's focus is the colonization of Mars and the first expansion focusses on that with a small aquaponics bay to feed the base and expanded living quarters to house more scientists.
(0/20 Facilities, 5 IP per Facility)(Max 10 parts per pathfinder trip)(-3 Astrotech Team)
[] Martian particle mining Base (Phase 2)(Updated)
An expansion of the base will double the rate of particle collection and speed the start of viable research by six months.
(0/30 Facilities, 5 IP per Facility)(Max 10 parts per pathfinder trip)(-3 Astrotech Team)
Mercury Facilities (13 Pathfinder days):
[]Mercury Comsat/GPS Network
Before permanent facilities can be manned on mercury, a network of communication and positional satellites has to be completed to facilitate communication with Earth and allow for accurate positioning on the planet for the scientists. This includes relay satellites to enable communications when the sun blocks line of sight to earth, thus the need for larger transmitters and receivers.
(0/10 CSATs)(5 IP per CSAT)
[]Mercury SCED Research Base (Northern polar region)
The initial base will follow a similar pattern to the lunar one. A number of prefabricated habitat units, connected to life support and power. The plan is for an underground base near the poles as it is easier to deal with constant cold temperatures than the large changes that are present away from the poles.
(0/15 Facilities; 5 IP per Facility)(-1 Astronaut Team)
Venus Facilities (12 Pathfinder days):
[]Venus Comsat/GPS Network
Before permanent facilities can be manned on Venus, a network of communication and positional satellites has to be completed to facilitate communication with Earth and allow for accurate positioning on the planet for the scientists. As with Mercury, relays to communicate when occluded are a required part of this network.
(0/10 CSATs)(5 IP per CSAT)
[]Venus Research Station
A station in orbit of Venus has been requested to safely study tiberium samples collected there as they can easily be returned to the surface if needed. The station will float in the upper atmosphere with oxygen-nitrogen as a lifting gas. A second goal of the station would be a study of Venus's unique weather phenomena
(1/20 Station Parts; 10 IP per Part)(Astrotech Teams -2)(For one station part per turn, the IP cost is waived)(Max four parts per trip)
Assembly
[]Tick Digger Vehicle Rollout 0/80 IP
Rollout of the improved construction vehicle designs based on the Tick Tank. There are several variants, each designed to operate in the many different gravity and atmospheric conditions across the solar system.
(+10 to all off-Earth construction rolls)
[]Pathfinder Engine Refit
Replacing the engine on the Pathfinder will take months and a large part of our workshops supporting the effort.
0/150 IP 60 pathfinder days
[]Pathfinder General Refit
In the years since the Pathfinder was first built there have been several research breakthroughs that can be applied to the ship ranging from better superconductors to transport power to the new sparkle shield. A refit to apply these will allow the evaluation of these new components in space.
0/90 IP 45 pathfinder days
[]Pathfinder Science Refit
The pathfinder is currently designed to do everything the SCED needs from science missions to constructions of space stations. With a Conestoga promise to be delivered this plan we can reduce the Pathfinder's cargo space to increase the size of the onboard labs, sensors and crew quarters.
0/50 IP 40 pathfinder days, pathfinder can carry only one station part and gets +10 to all science missions and pathfinder surveys take two less days to complete.
Development (6 Dice) +30
[]Curiosity Shuttle Prototype 0/200 (50C +20IP/Die)
With work on new variations of the Leopard underway the research department has asked permission to build one to test new technology. The plan is to start with one of the new VIP Leopards and refit it with a hover landing system and artificial gravity. Other planned additions include large sensor arrays, an isolinear EVA, and extensive monitoring systems to study the craft while it is flying.
[]He-3 Experimental Reactor 0/200(20C/Die +10IP)
To prepare for the next wave of construction on the Moon the construction of a HE3 reactor is planned. It will power SCED operations for years to come with power to spare for the Treasury's mining operations. The reactor will be designed to experiment with He-3 based fusion processes. While this means the reactor is unlikely to be an optimal design for power production, it allows for a greater range of operating options, and room for extensive sensor networks to study its function. The already extant mines on the Moon are not designed to capture and store He-3 locked in mined materials, but the small quantity that can be recovered will easily provide for the operating of a single reactor. (Unlocks more Lunar Facilities.)
[]Europa Deep Ocean Sample Extraction Drone 0/200 (4IP/Die)
It has long been theorized that Europa contains oceans of liquid water under its icy surface, heated by geothermal forces. If this should prove to be the case, there may be life in some form huddled around the energy providing deep sea volcanoes on Europa. A specialized, disinfected robot would have to be designed to take samples without contaminating any potential ecosystem already in place.
[]Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation 166/200 (4IP/Die)
Since the second attempt at building communal housing has seemed to have more success than the first, the SCED is obligated to evaluate the principles employed in their design for use in orbital-, lunar- and general off-Earth habitation both for the SCEDs staff and the general civilian inhabitant of any such future facilities. Notable for this project is the undeserved vitriol that the project has gotten from some of the higher ups and multiple favors had to be called in by the scientists to even put it on the planning table for further consideration.
[]Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation 131/200 (4IP/Die)
Always striving in the advancement of civilian space technology and knowledge, the SCED is obligated to evaluate the principles employed in the design of the Treasuries Green Architecture project for use in orbital-, lunar- and general off-Earth habitation both for the SCEDs staff and the general civilian inhabitant of any such future facilities.
[]Gravitational Wave Observatory Assessment 0/150 (4IP/Die)
The theory of gravitational waves has long existed in scientific literature and has gained some increased attention with the discovery of the Gdrive. New advancements in Laser-, sensor- and computing technology have brought new options to the table to facilitate the construction of such Gravitational Wave Observatories on or off Earth.
[]Void-compatible Ultra High Albedo Coatings 0/150 (No cost per die)
White surfaces had been used to protect space equipment from the sun's heat ever since the early days of space exploration, but since then space coating technology has barely evolved. By going through the chemical literature and papers on high albedo pigments and coatings since then, maybe an improvement can be made.
Space Command Mission Planning (4 Dice) +5
[]Mission: Orbital Scan (Write-in) (for example: Neptune, Saturn or Uranus) (Requires one Die)(Gas Giants have the main planet, each major moon, and rings+minor moons as locations)
-Callisto
-Titania
-Uranus: Minor Moons + Rings
-Neptune
-Triton
-Neptune: Minor Moons + Rings
[]Mission: Follow up missions (Write-in) (Requires one Die)
-Titan
[]Mission: Manned Landing (Write-in) (Requires one Die)
-Charon
-Titan
-Pluto
[]Mission: Research Base (Write-in) 0/130
-Ceres 0/150
-Europa 0/150
Missions
Total Pathfinder Time: 90 days
Current Maintenance time: 3 days
Mercury: 9 days
Venus: 9 days
Mars: 10 days
Asteroid Belt: 13 days
Jupiter: 20 days
Saturn: 26 days
Uranus: 36 days
Neptune: 45 days
Pluto: 51 days
Mars (13 Pathfinder days)
[]Rover Delivery-Mars
(Required for activation: 4IP per Location, 2 Capital per Location)(22/50 locations surveyed)
[]Mars Pathfinder Survey
Send the pathfinder to Mars to stay there for 20 days so the geology team can live inside while investigating the area. The Pathfinder can carry enough supplies to do two surveys before needing to return to the Moon for resupply.
(Required for activation: 20 Pathfinder days)(shares sites with Rover Delivery)
Asteroid Belt (16 Pathfinder days)
[]Ceres Rover Delivery
(Required for activation: 4IP per Location, 2 Capital per Location)(0/15 Locations surveyed)
[]Manned Ceres Landing
(Required for activation: 30IP, 15 Capital, 1 Astronaut Team, 14 Pathfinder days)(Cannot do Rover deliveries at the same time as Manned Landing)
[]Ceres Pathfinder Survey
Send the Pathfinder to Ceres to stay there for 20 days so the geology team can live inside while investigating the area. The Pathfinder can carry enough supplies to do two surveys before needing to return to the Moon for resupply.
(Required for activation: 20 pathfinder days)(shares sites with Rover Delivery)
Jupiter (23 Pathfinder days) Banned due the Scrin presence []Observation Array - Jupiter
(0/10 Observation Satellites 6IP+3 Capital per Satellite)
[]Callisto Rover Delivery
(Required for activation: 4IP per Location)(0/15 Locations surveyed)
[]Surface Scan - Ganymede
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Surface Scan - Io
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Manned Landing Europa
(Required for activation: 30IP, 1 Astronaut Team, 23 Pathfinder days)(Cannot do Rover deliveries at the same time as Manned Landing)
[]Observation Probes - Minor Moons + Rings
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Surface Scan - Oberon
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Surface Scan - Titania
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Surface Scan - Miranda
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Surface Scan - Ariel
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
[]Surface Scan - Umbriel
(Required for activation: 6IP or 4 Pathfinder days)
Pluto (51 Pathfinder days)
[]Pluto Rover Delivery
(Required for activation: 4IP per Location)(0/10 Locations surveyed)
[]Charon Rover Delivery
(Required for activation: 4IP per Location)(0/5 Locations surveyed)
[]Pluto Pathfinder Survey
(Required for activation: 20 pathfinder days)(shares sites with Rover Delivery)
[]Charon Pathfinder Survey
(Required for activation: 20 pathfinder days)(shares sites with Rover Delivery)
--- Eris(85 Pathfinder days)
[] Orbital scan
There is little practical benefit of scanning a dwarf planet this far away but it would be the most distant object visited by the Pathfinder
(Required for activation: 6IP+ 3 Capital or 4 Pathfinder days)
Other
[]Voyager Visitation
The Voyager probes were the first and only of Mankind's creations that reached the Interstellar void between the stars. Their position has been extrapolated and, using Pathfinder, the SCED could catch up to their theoretical position to place a higher power beacon next to them and secure the probes inside a protective, armored shell.
(Required for activation: 90 Pathfinder days)
—
-[] Mission: Orbital Scan (Write-in) 1 die auto
-[] Mission: Surface Exploration (Write-in) 1 die auto
-[] Mission: Manned Landing (Write-in) 1 die auto
-[] Mission: Research Base (Write-in) 0/150 2 dice 19%, 3 dice 63%, 4 dice 89%, 5 dice 97%
Titania is listed under mission planning for orbital scanning, but we completed that during Q4 2061.
Alright, I have prepared for this.
[X] Plan Inner System Tour
-[X] Earth Facilities 50 C
--[X] Isolinear Computing Center (Phase 1)(0/200) 2 Dice 50C
-[X] Earth-Orbit Facilities 2 IP, 3 Astrotech Teams
--[X] Gargarin Station (Stage 4)(9/10 Gagarin Station Parts) 1 Part Free
--[X] Enterprise Orbital Assembler (Phase 3)(7/80 IP) 2 IP
-[X] Lunar Facilities 40 IP
--[X] Craterscope Mirror Laying and Sensor Installation (0/200) 4 Dice
--[X] Lunar Imaging Seismic Array (Phase 2)(0/10) 10 Sensor Pods, 40 IP
-[X] Martian Facilities 50 IP, 13 Pathfinder Days
--[X] Martian SCED Research Base (Phase 2)(0/20 Parts) 10 Parts, 50 IP, 13 Pathfinder Days (Drop off)
-[X] Venus Facilities 30 IP, 12 Pathfinder Days
--[X] Venus Research Station (1/20 Parts) 3 Parts, 30 IP, 12 Pathfinder Days (Drop off)
-[X] Assembly 30 IP
--[X] Tick Digger Vehicle Rollout (0/80 IP) 30 IP
-[X] Development 60 C, 18 IP
--[X] He-3 Experimental Reactor (0/200) 3 Dice, 60C, 10 IP
--[X] Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation (166/200) 1 Dice, 4IP
--[X] Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation (131/200) 1 Dice, 4IP
--[X] Void-Compatible Ultra High Albedo Coatings (0/150) 1 Dice
-[X] Space Command Mission Planning
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Uranus: Minor Moons & Rings)
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Neptune)
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Neptune: Minor Moons & Rings)
--[X] Mission: Orbital Scan (Triton)
-[X] Missions 60 IP, 30 C, 2 Astronaut Teams, 56 Pathfinder Days
--[X] Manned Mercury Landing 30 IP, 15 C, 1 Astronaut Team, 26 Pathfinder Days
--[X] Manned Ceres Landing 30 IP, 15 C, 1 Astronaut Team, 30 Pathfinder Days
140 C
230 IP
81/90 Pathfinder Days
2 Astronaut Teams
3 Astrotech Teams
Pathfinder gets to go to every part of the inner system. Landing on Mercury, dropping off the first shipment of the station at Venus, dropping off half the new base at Mars, and landing on Ceres. More important steps for Humanity and more science getting done.
Also a focus on the He-3 reactor and the next phase of LISA. Because I think we need more expansion on the Moon.
I think Pathfinder refits can wait for a bit and we don't need to spend 150 IP just to get Eezo 6 months earlier.
My plan works on the G-Drive refit of the Pathfinder in hopes of reducing pathfinder time costs in future turns and does a manned landing on Ceres. I also spend a bit of savings to get a decent chance of completing the Iso Computer Center.
Earth-Orbit Facilities:
-[X] Gagarin Station (Stage 4) 9/10 use one free station part to finish it.
-[X] Enterprise Orbital Assembler (Phase 3 of 4) 9/80 IP add 8 IP
Phase 3: (9/80 IP)(+1 free station part per turn, fewer parts needed once the Conestoga is ready)
Assembly
-[X]Pathfinder Engine Refit
150/150 IP 60 pathfinder days
Development (6 Dice) +30
-[X] He-3 Experimental Reactor 0/200 3 dice 79%
-[X] Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation 166/200 1 die 97%
-[X] Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation 131/200 2 dice 99%
Asteroid Belt (16 Pathfinder days)
-[X]Manned Ceres Landing
(Required for activation: 30IP, 15 Capital, 1 Astronaut Team, 14 Pathfinder days)(Cannot do Rover deliveries at the same time as Manned Landing)
Is visiting the bases on Mars quasi-mandatory, or can they go a quarter without a Pathfinder run?
If so, then I'm thinking of a plan that doesn't go to Mars (but goes other places, of course).
If not, then we should probably be cautious about founding any more interplanetary bases that make demands on Pathfinder time...
EDIT: Nevermind, I think I see a way to make it all work out and still go to Mars.
Budget: 211, income: 100 Capital per turn
Industrial Capacity: 230 IP
Pathfinder Time: 90 Days
Astronaut Teams: 7 (+1 per year, +1 per Plan)
Astrotech Teams: 8 (+1 per turn, +5 per year)
Credit budget:
50 (2 dice on isolinear center)
60 (3 dice on He-3 reactor)
15 (Mercury landing)
-----
125 C
Industrial budget:
6 (Enterprise assembler)
40 (4 Venus station parts)
50 (10 Mars station parts)
80 (Tick digger)
10 (He-3 reactor)
8 (Treasury housing stuff)
30 (Mercury landing)
6 (Titan probes)
----
230 IP
Pathfinder budget:
03 (maintenance)
12 (Venus base)
13 (Mars base)
26 (Mercury landing)
33 (Mission to Saturn)
-----
87 Days
Wiggled things around a bit. Swapped out the Ceres landing for a survey of Saturn and its moons, swapped out the LISA project, concentrated IP on getting the tick tank diggers deployed. The way I figure it, once we get the He-3 reactor developed, we're going to want to do a lot of construction on the Moon, and we'll want the diggers ready as soon as possible.
I would appreciate checks of my arithmetic, as I may have made some mistakes.
[X] Plan Development
Earthside 1 die 75C
-[X] Isolinear Computing Center(Updated) 0/200 3 dice 75C 18%
Earth-Orbit 151IP
-[X] Gagarin Station (Stage 4) 9/10 parts 1 part
-[X] Enterprise Orbital Assembler (Phase 3 of 4) 9/80IP 151IP (both phases)
Lunar 4/4 +20 0IP
-[X] Craterscope Mirror Laying and Sensor Installation (New) 0/200 4 dice 92%
Martian Facilities 50IP 13PT
-[X] Martian SCED Research Base (Phase 2) (Northern polar region) 10 parts 50IP 13PT
Mercury Facilities
Venus Facilities
Assembly 11IP
-[X]Tick Digger Vehicle Rollout 0/80 IP 11IP
Development 6/6 +30 60C 18IP
-[X] He-3 Experimental Reactor 0/200 3 dice 79% 60C 10IP
-[X] Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation 166/200 1 die 97% 4IP
-[X] Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation 131/200 1 die 62% 4IP
-[X] Void-compatible Ultra High Albedo Coatings 0/150 2 dice 61%
Space Command Mission Planning 4/4 +5
-[X] Mission: Orbital Scan
--[X] Callisto 1 die
--[X] Titania 1 die
--[X] Uranus: Minor Moons + Rings 1 die
--[X] Neptune 1 die
Missions
-[X] Ceres Pathfinder Survey x2 72 PT
Other
135/311 C
230/230 IP
85/90 PT
All in on the Orbital Assembler because that adds another free station part per turn (10 IP per turn), and the 2nd phases boosts our per turn production of IP by 10 plus drops progress needed to do research projects. So knocking that out because we always need more IP and this is the way to get that. Putting in work on the isolinear computing center, but fairly low on the capital expenditures this turn. 1 full trip to the Mars SCED base will get that half way done. Also doing some Ceres exploration
Wiggled things around a bit. Swapped out the Ceres landing for a survey of Saturn and its moons, swapped out the LISA project, concentrated IP on getting the tick tank diggers deployed. The way I figure it, once we get the He-3 reactor developed, we're going to want to do a lot of construction on the Moon, and we'll want the diggers ready as soon as possible.
The LISA project seems to always end up getting delayed.
We still need to build the He-3 reactor, so I figured we could slowly roll out the tick tank diggers since there was no critical construction currently going on.
Well we were already there twice last quarter to set up the mining post.
But yeah, generally crews like to have a set schedule for things like exchanges rather than 'whenever Pathfinder stops by'.
Well we need to wait on Contesga dev- and gravitic drive bay in main quest would help a lot. Of course something that can help prep for that:
Phase 3: (9/80 IP)(+1 free station part per turn, fewer parts needed once the Conestoga is ready)
Phase 4: (0/80 IP)(+10 IP, research projects require less progress)
Free station part is worth 10 IP a turn, we need fewer parts for Conestoga which could come as early as next quarter and this way we are already ready. And phase 4 is adding 10IP which is a major bottleneck for us as well dropping progress needed on research projects which should help push us further ahead.
A reminder: You can go over the "Max 10 parts per pathfinder trip" by doing multiple trips in the same turn. For example, paying 26 Pathfinder Days to drop off two full loads of Martian SCED Research Base parts.
IIRC you only need to spend the Pathfinder Days to visit Ceres here once per turn. This should only cost you 56 PT, so with the 5 you had left over you have 21 more PT to spend.
All in on the Orbital Assembler because that adds another free station part per turn (10 IP per turn), and the 2nd phases boosts our per turn production of IP by 10 plus drops progress needed to do research projects. So knocking that out because we always need more IP and this is the way to get that.
Yes. That's because while it's nice and all, it's probably not super-critical given the way SCED currently operates on the moon.
We still need to build the He-3 reactor, so I figured we could slowly roll out the tick tank diggers since there was no critical construction currently going on.
A reminder: You can go over the "Max 10 parts per pathfinder trip" by doing multiple trips in the same turn. For example, paying 26 Pathfinder Days to drop off two full loads of Martian SCED Research Base parts.
Thanks for the heads-up, but I honestly do prefer splitting my effort between the Mars and Venus bases instead of going all-in on either of them. Though if I were to pick one to double down on, it'd be Venus; the Mars bases at least exist and expanding their capabilities is not a hair-on-fire emergency priority.
Though with Void Stalker making the priorities point, I'm imagining reshuffling To The Rings Of Saturn! to skip the Mars base work, double down on the Venus base work, and reshuffle some IC from the tick tank digger project to the Enterprise assembler. Maybe.
The header costs on most of your sections are inaccurate.
For IP, I believe you're 6 IP over:
- Enterprise Orbital Assembler 12 IP
- Venus Research Station 40 IP
- Martian SCED Research Base 50 IP
- Tick Digger Vehicle Rollout 80 IP
- He-3 Experimental Reactor 10 IP
- Treasury Communal Housing Evaluation 4IP
- Treasury Green Architecture Evaluation 4IP
- Manned Mercury Landing 30 IP
- Observation Probes - Titan 6 IC
- Total: 236/230 IP
For Pathfinder Days, Pathfinder's 3 days of maintenance is payed whenever the Pathfinder returns from a trip. This is factored in to the stated travel times: At 0.5gs, a round trip to Mars is (about) 10 days, with 3 days added on for maintenance. Thus the stated time of 13 days. Currently, the Pathfinder travels to every location and then back to Earth; there is no "visit Venus then Mercury" travel option or similar.
Anyways. Point is, you're only spending 84 days, not 87:
- Venus Facilities 12 Pathfinder Days
- Martian Facilities 13 Pathfinder Days
- Manned Mercury Landing 26 Pathfinder Days (12 visit + 14 mission)
- Mission(s) to Saturn 29 Pathfinder Days
-- Observation Probes - Minor Moons + Rings 4 Pathfinder Days
- Total: 84/90
If I may make a suggestion, I would switch the observation probing of Saturn to use the Pathfinder's time instead of spending 6 IP.
